Bolivia Summer: Spanish Language Immersion in the Andes
- Bolivia
- Cochabamba
About Program
Immerse yourself in the Andes: perform a ritual ceremony for Pachamama, trek over snow-swept passes, and discuss the impacts of large-scale resource extraction with local communities.
In the heart of South America, the Andes Mountains and dense jungles of the Amazon inform daily life at every turn. Known as a land of extremes, Bolivia is home to some of the most staggering cultural and ecological diversity on the planet. Host to 36 distinct ethnic and language groups, vast mountain ranges, dense Amazonian jungle, and a shifting socio-political landscape, Bolivia provides a vast panorama for students to explore the links between past and present in the heart of South America. Students integrate into several local communities through extended home-stays, focused language study, and a direct engagement with local activists and politicians.
Scholarships and college credit available.
Video and Photos
Diversity & Inclusion 💙
BIPOC Support
LGBTQIA+ Support
In some cases, students may be advised not to speak about their sexual orientations and/or gender identities with local contacts (such as homestay families, ISP mentors, language teachers, and guest speakers) due to safety concerns. Likewise, transgender and non-binary students may have to choose to present outwardly as male or female in certain contexts during the program. In other cases, “coming out” to some or all host community members may be a safe choice.
Neurodivergent Support
Accessibility Support
Impact 🌎
Sustainability
Ethical Impact
Learning Service is a holistic experience that combines an intimate and authentic engagement with the local community, the study of effective development, and the contribution to an established community-driven project. It is the process of living, working alongside, and humbly absorbing the culture of those being served while coordinating closely with project managers to understand the trajectory of the project, from inception to completion and beyond. It is an acknowledgment that often it is the volunteer who stands to gain as much or more from the work. And it is a commitment to making contributions that create positive impacts in the communities coupled with the humility to always listen and learn first.
We offer comprehensive, personal home visits so that we can answer your questions in person. One of our expert staff members will present on our program options and share stories from their own formative Where There Be Dragons program. To request a home visit in less than 2 minutes, fill out this form.
Program Highlights
- Explore land use and relationships, indigenous identity and representation, social and political activism, the coca leaf, sustainable agriculture, and the arts.
- Enjoy a 10-day homestay outside of Cochabamba, and a shorter homestay in a rural mountain community.
- Take on two multi-day treks in the high Andes, with additional wilderness exploration in Bolivia's lush rainforests.
- Participate in extended formal language lessons, with opportunities for language immersion throughout. Quechua classes are also available.
- Engage with issues in resource management, globalization, indigenous rights and representation, urbanization, environmental conservation, and sustainable development.